Barbary ground squirrel

Barbary ground squirrel: ardilla moruna: Atlantoxerus getulus

The Barbary ground squirrel was introduced in Fuerteventura in 1965 from the then Spanish colony of Ifni in Southern Morocco. It has since spread and now may number as many as one million on an island of just 1,660 km2. Its eradication is seen as impractical on Fuerteventura, and efforts are concentrated on preventing its spread to Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.